A Prayer for the Soul of Layla

Amazon.com
Iranian-American keyboardist Jamshied Sharifi has the right idea, trying to make his keyboard sound like a "natural" instrument in this ambitious album that blurs the line between world music and New Age. With some strong guests like Moroccan gimbri player Hassan Hakmoun and singing star Paula Cole, he uses Middle Eastern rhythms and ideas as his framework to take his music to another place that exists outside geography. The album is often stunningly beautiful, as on the luminous title track or on "Ammeh Kimia," with the lush voice of Marie Afonso contributing. It's an example of the best worldbeat with Sharifi leading from the back, using his keyboard to sketch the colors while the others provide the detail. Projects like this walk a tightrope--they can either be absolute triumphs or pure slush and Sharifi makes sure his falls in the former category. Spiritual and haunting in the best way, A Prayer repays repeated playing. --Chris Nickson

Tracks:

Tariqat
Anahita Will Sustain You
One Who Plants A Tree
Ammeh Kimia
Bid-e Majnun
Through The Veil
The Art Of Remembering
The Salt Road
Ma'na
Karaj
March Into Dreaming
A Prayer For The Soul Of Layla

Amazon.com

Iranian-American keyboardist Jamshied Sharifi has the right idea, trying to make his keyboard sound like a "natural" instrument in this ambitious album that blurs the line between world music and New Age. With some strong guests like Moroccan gimbri player Hassan Hakmoun and singing star Paula Cole, he uses Middle Eastern rhythms and ideas as his framework to take his music to another place that exists outside geography. The album is often stunningly beautiful, as on the luminous title track or on "Ammeh Kimia," with the lush voice of Marie Afonso contributing. It's an example of the best worldbeat with Sharifi leading from the back, using his keyboard to sketch the colors while the others provide the detail. Projects like this walk a tightrope--they can either be absolute triumphs or pure slush and Sharifi makes sure his falls in the former category. Spiritual and haunting in the best way, A Prayer repays repeated playing. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Exotic and Haunting.......2003-06-23

This CD, perhaps more than any other, takes me away to another place. Some of the songs paint a vivid picture of a caravan of camels in my mind. The title track is incredibly soulful with a sad, longing quality. If that track does not evoke emotions in you, something has died inside of you. I highly recommend this CD.

good worldy music.......2003-04-11

the drumming on this cd is fantastic -- complex interesting rhythms

the music is wild, from upbeat to textured curving ambient drones

the Persian style vocals are of course beautiful & very moving

I don't know about how "spiritual" this music is, in the sense that Vas is spiritual in, but it's great music nonetheless

Transports you to another land!.......2003-03-02

Some songs are very soft and soothing making me feel I'm being whisked away on a cloud, while other songs were full of rythmic percussions that make me want to get up and dance! The Salt Road track has a very interesting melodramatic sound to it, and mixes music with sounds of Persian street vendors in a way that makes you feel like you're in some distant land emersed in a beautiful foriegn culture. I love this CD and highly recommend it!

The missing point of making this album........2002-12-05

Having listened to new age and world music for more than 20 years, I have to say this album is a total disappointment to put it mildly. I wish I would know what was the actual goal of Mr. Sharifi to make this album. Did he want to present Persian music to the westerner? If the answer is yes, Axiom Of Choice is a superb example of doing that. In this album Sharifi gets totally mixed up and represents a mixture of Persian, Chinese, African, and modern 20th century style of classical music and the result is a catastrophe. He tries to imitate the Middle Eastern musical instruments with his keyboard very unprofessionally. On the other hand, Axiom of choice brings you the original music instruments mixed with keyboard in the most beautiful fashion. Not recommended.

Beautiful Middle Eastern and North African inspired music!.......2002-06-09

Sharifi, among other fine artists, proved that real art and music don't recognize narrow-minded chauvinism and go far beyond one culture.
In this CD, Sharifi's music shows that a true artist doesn't belong to one culture (American, Arabic, Iranian, North African or others) but that beauty in all cultures belongs to him.
That's exactly what defines a global artist and set him apart from the crowd.

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